The Fourth Prophecy
by Jetainia
Summary: Part 4 of the Keepers and Guardians series. Three have been fulfilled, now is the time of the fourth. The Keepers and Guardians have a job to do.
1. Chapter 1

They arrived in an alley in central London, the three of them gasping for breath after being squeezed through the Time/Space vortex. No longer were they surrounded by the Future Kind instead they were surrounded by the hustle and bustle of London in the 21st century. It was time to find Professor Yana, or as the Doctor knew him, the Master.

As they walked down the street they discussed what their plan was. The Doctor knew that he only had to see the Master to know him, all Time Lords had the innate ability to know each other. That was then it hit Martha, she knew who the Master was. Harold Saxon, Prime Minister of Great Britain. Who had a wife.

Thus began the great hunt for information on what the Master's purpose was, to figure out his endgame. They went to Martha's apartment first as a base of operations from which to work.

"Home," Martha sighed out happily as she entered. The Doctor went straight to business.

"What have you got? Computer, laptop, anything. Jack, who are you phoning? You can't tell anyone we're here."

"Just some friends of mine, but there's no reply."

"Here you go. Any good?" Martha inquired as she fetched her laptop.

"I can show you the Saxon websites," Jack stated, "He's been around for ages."

"That's so weird though, It's the day after the election. That's only four days after I met you."

The Doctor hummed and said, "We went flying all around the universe while he was here all the time."

"You going to tell us who he is?"

"He's a Time Lord."

"What about the rest of it? I mean, who'd call himself the Master?"

"That's all you need to know," cut off the Doctor, "Come on, show me Harold Saxon."

Jack nodded and proceeded to call up the various webpages on Harold Saxon while Martha checked her voicemail, an overexcited Tish who had gotten a job, didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Just after that Harold Saxon made a speech and Martha's apartment blew up. Oh, how she loved travelling with the Doctor.

And so they went off the grid, trying to get away from the Master's eyes that were everywhere and everyone. They were declared terrorists after Martha had received a call from the Master and the Doctor had talked to him. They ran, they hid, the planned on a way to somehow gain the knowledge of the Master's plan. And then they had a visitor.

They had been talking about the Master and the Archangel network when Jack had stopped and abruptly stood up with his head cocked to one side. The Doctor followed soon after and they both gazed out into the night while Martha looked between them and the emptiness that she could see. There was a slight sound, almost like a cry for help and Jack took off like a rocket.

Martha watched as the Doctor let him go before scrambling around their makeshift campsite, organising boxes into an almost bed and covering it with various tarps they had found. He bundled up his own coat and placed it at one end before running off in the direction Jack had without so much as a glance at her.

She sat there, stunned at the sudden bursts of activity from her companions before hurriedly getting up to run after them. She didn't get very far as almost as soon as she had gotten up they appeared in the outer ring of the firelight. They were on either side of another person, male by the looks of it, and helping him towards their hidey hole.

The man seemed to be in bad shape as he stumbled in between the two travellers, almost falling several times even with their support. Martha's doctor brain kicked in and she ran forward to help only to arrive just as the man finally succumbed to unconsciousness. The three of them hurried him to the bed the Doctor had created and lay him down. Martha started checking him over as the Doctor hovered nearby and Jack knelt next to the new addition.

As she worked she felt her heart sinking, the man wasn't breathing and there was no pulse. He was ice cold even though it was a warm summer night. If she hadn't just seen him walking she would have said that he had been dead for a few days. She tried to perform CPR but Jack wouldn't let her, holding her away from the strange, probably dead, man.

Jack threw her into the Doctor's arms and he caught her, holding her just as tightly as Jack had. "Will he be okay?" the time lord asked Jack quietly.

Jack nodded, "He should be, eventually. His Constant has been thrown around and it's having an effect on him."

"What about you?"

A grimace, "It's not so bad, I only get an echo. He's getting the full brunt. Doctor, we need to stop the Master."

The Doctor nodded and Martha was confused. "Hold on! What are you talking about? Who is he? Why are you saying he's going to be alright when he's dead?"

"Because he's not dead, he's just in a lot of pain."

"But who is he? How do you know him and how do you know what's wrong with him?"

The Doctor and Jack both sighed and Jack knelt back down at the side of the bed, running his fingers through the stranger's hair. "We know him because he is like us and we are like him. I know what is wrong with him because he told me, his Constant is being hurt and so is he. He is Harry, Keeper and Guardian of Death."

"Th't's me," Harry groaned quietly as his eyes fluttered open and shut.

"Shh Harry, just rest. We'll get you better, you'll see." Harry just nodded slowly and curled up on himself, one hand reaching out to take Jack's.

"Stay," he murmured, "it's bett'r."

"I'll stay, Harry, for as long as I can."


	2. Chapter 2

"We have to stop him, Doctor," Jack stated as he stood guard over Harry.

The Doctor sighed, "I know. Tonight, we'll go see if we can find out what his plans are. Will he help, do you think?"

"We probably couldn't stop him if he tried," Jack huffed out. "You know how he is, he could be dying but he'll still save as many people as he can. I don't know how he does it."

"Pure determination," came the answer from the makeshift bed. The two turned and Jack immediately knelt down by Harry's side to offer support. "I'm fine, Jack."

"You're not, you're splitting yourself apart trying to get all the souls, let us help you."

Harry smiled wearily at his counter-part as he conceded the point, "Whatever you're planning I will be a part of it. I will not fail in my duty."

"Of course Harry," the Doctor said softly as he watched the Keeper and Guardian of Death struggle to stay awake. The strain of so many people dying was taking a toll on him, he could barely remain conscious.

Harry nodded, pleased that his message had gotten across before wincing, clutching his head as his eyes rolled back and he blacked out.

* * *

Harry had been asleep for several hours now and the Doctor, Jack and Martha had been discussing their plan. Jack was adamant about staying with Harry and the Doctor agreed. Martha still didn't quite understand who or what Harry was but he seemed to be very important to the both of them. As they talked, Jack stroked Harry's hair and the Doctor fiddled with TARDIS keys.

It was decided, in the end, that both Martha and the Doctor would go see what the Master was up to using the perception filter TARDIS keys the Doctor had made. Jack would stay behind and look after Harry who didn't seem to have improved much, although according to Jack he was much better. Martha didn't know when Jack had become an expert on health but she couldn't tell what was wrong with their new addition. According to human doctors, he was dead.

"We'll see you in a few hours, Jack. Take care of him." The Doctor said as he slipped on the perception filter key.

Jack nodded at them not moving from his place beside Harry. Martha gave him a small smile, slipped on her own key and followed the Doctor to the airfield that Harold Saxon was. Behind them, Harry woke up and groaned, a hand going to hold his head.

"Hey Harry, how are you going?"

"Not the best but you already knew that."

Jack laughed and Harry winced at the loud noise, "Yeah, I did. I could feel the ripples, I'm just lucky that I'm not as affected as you. Even Time is probably affected a bit, all those people leaving early."

"Great, three Constant Guardians who are being brought down by one rogue Time Lord."

"We'll deal with it, I'm going to stick to you like glue so I can help keep you balanced."

Harry smiled weakly, "Thanks Jack."

"No problem."

"Where is Time?"

"He and Martha have gone to see what they can find out about the Master's plans."

"Martha?"

"His current companion, she's very confused by you." Jack laughed, "She's had medical training and can't understand how you're medically dead but still alive."

"Yeah well, it comes with the territory."

'That it does, now sleep, you need your energy if you plan on walking on your own power any time soon."

Harry stuck his tongue out at Jack but did as he was told. The battle between reality and balance was taking a toll on him. There were too many souls to collect at one time, he was being overtaxed and the only thing that kept him aware was the presence of his counterpart. It was going to be torture trying to sort out the mess after they had stopped the Master, somehow.

* * *

When he next awoke, Harry heard soft voices discussing being valiant. "Please don't tell me you made a valiant effort that didn't work out," he groaned.

"What? No, there's a ship that the Master's on, it's called the Valiant." Jack answered from his place next to Harry and the other two nodded.

"Ah, right. Otherwise you would have been in a world of hurt and not because of the Master."

Time and Life both winced in remembrance of the few times Harry had been mad at them, "Don't worry, we won't leave you behind."

"But shouldn't we?" Martha interjected, "I mean, he can barely stand! He's not well, he shouldn't be running around trying to save the world!"

"I'm not going to get well until the world is saved so excuse me if I want to help hasten that along a bit," Harry snapped. "We can't all be mortals who aren't connected to a Constant and therefore have no real interest in keeping everything balanced."

"Death, calm, reserve your energy." Harry grumbled but obeyed and Jack smiled down at him.

He was held up by Jack as they all gathered around the Time Agent and transported to the Valiant. The ship was quiet apart from the general hum of energy. Except, what was that? Something powerful was held in between death and life and she was screaming. The Doctor heard her as well and ran as fast as his long legs could take him in the direction of the scream.

Martha and Jack followed, Jack scooping up Harry as they ran full pelt down multiple corridors. They were greeted with the sight of the TARDIS. Harry motioned for Jack to put him down and staggered to the wall furthest away from the mangled machine, waving away offers of help as he collapsed against the solid steel. The Doctor looked at him, assessing, and nodded before stepping into his beloved ship.

His fury at the Master grew as what his old friend had done to his home ever since he had stolen her from Gallifrey. No longer were the lights bright and welcoming, instead they were red and full of warning. The central console was barred off with a floor to ceiling fence and he could hear her scream. She wasn't a time machine any more, she was a paradox machine.


	3. Interlude

Lucy had never been a very loud girl, always fading into the background until somehow, she had caught the eye of one Harold Saxon. That was when everything had changed and she was thrust into the spotlight. Lucy loved it, she would anything for her now husband and would go along with his plan for absolute power. Too many years as a wallflower had made her desperate for more.

Perhaps that was why Harold had murmured the word 'beautiful' when he had seen her glaring at the most prominent female attendee of the party they had been at when they had met. She had been swept away by his words and promises and all eyes were on them, on _her_ , as she walked around with the most eligible bachelor in town.

A whirlwind romance that ended with him proposing and her accepting, it was all she had ever wanted. Now they were so close to seeing Harold's plan come to fruition, nothing could stop them and yet Harold was drifting away from her. He had become obsessed with the small group trying to stop their plans.

Lucy knew that Harold was not human and that the band's leader was an old 'friend' of his. The Doctor was a threat to her, someone who knew her husband and could perhaps lure him away from her.

There was also Captain Jack Harkness, leader of Torchwood, an immortal. He would have to be locked up for the rest of his days because she knew he would never stop fighting them.

Harold had told her not to worry about the black girl, she was simply another human the Doctor had picked up along his travels. Even so, she kept an eye on her. Humans could be very resourceful and she was not about to underestimate one of her own kind. After all, she knew exactly how cunning a human could be.

It was the last man that seemed to have really captured her husband's eye. They had nothing on him, not even a face due to the green cloak he always wore with the hood up. All they knew was that this last man would appear and disappear at places where loss of life had occurred. Sometimes Jack Harkness was with him and sometimes he was alone but he would be there.

Now she was staring at three of them as they tried to stop her husband's plans right before they were set into motion. She watched as Harold shot out a laser at the immortal who fell dead on the ground. She watched as he aimed a laser at the Doctor and sped time forwards for the man as he grew older and older. She watched as the black girl, Martha, cried and looked towards her friends and family for support before vanishing out of sight via some alien technology.

As she watched all of this happen in front of her she wondered. There was someone missing, why was he not there? Where was the green-cloaked man that had so fascinated Harold?

* * *

The green-cloaked man was in the TARDIS, sleeping. He had fallen asleep while the other three were examining the newly created paradox machine and they had been unable to wake him. The three had debated between them and had eventually decided that the safest place for Harry would be in the TARDIS, even if she had been cannibalised. There he would stay, asleep and gathering energy for when the time came for him to wake and fulfil his duty as the Keeper and Guardian of Death.


	4. Chapter 3

One year had passed. A year that was full of evil fun as Harold continued to torment the Doctor and eventually age the other Time Lord to such an old age that he shrivelled up to the size of a baby. Lucy and Harold were happy, they were free to do as they pleased as the Toclafane kept the populace in line and nuclear missiles were prepared. One thing niggled at Lucy's mind through all that year; _where was the green cloaked man_?

They knew where the Doctor was, where Captain Jack Harkness was, they even had an inkling of where Miss Martha Jones was, but they had yet to find even a hint as to the location of the one man that Lucy hated and feared. Harold told her not to worry about it but she did, she worried about it every day that passed and every day that went by without any sign of the male only served to make her worry about it more. She was sure he was out there somewhere, planning something that would make their new world come crashing down.

* * *

Harry groaned as he stirred awake, uncertain of where he was but not feeling the anxiety that came from being unsafe. There was a faint hum in the background, it comforted him, like a mother soothing a small child after they had awoken from a bad dream. A small smile flickered across his face as he opened his eyes. The smile was immediately replaced by a frown as he gazed around the empty red-lit TARDIS.

His mind wandered through the fog of sleep and tried to remember what he had been doing before he had fallen asleep. He remembered the pain he had felt as Balance was destroyed, he remembered Life stabilising him enough so that he could stay conscious. He remembered the TARDIS being turned into a paradox machine and sitting down on the small couch to rest for a while as the other three examined what the TARDIS had become and started plotting out their plan of attack.

There was no sign of Time, Life or Martha. It was just him and the TARDIS, keeping him calm with her gentle hum. He couldn't feel the broken Balance anymore, it was being muffled by something that felt distinctly like Life and Harry smiled wryly despite himself. He knew that in order for Life to have figured out how to help him block out the UnBalance, quite some time must have passed which meant that their original plan mustn't have worked, nor had any other plans since then.

"You wouldn't happen to have the ability to reverse this paradox, would you, my lady?" he asked the TARDIS.

The TARDIS hummed a little louder and the red lights warmed to yellow for a few seconds in response. Harry grinned and stood up warily, ready for his legs to give out on him as they had the last time he had stood. They wobbled but remained firm and he nodded in satisfaction, "Thank you, Life. And thank you, dear, I'm sure you'll know when the optimum time for the reversal is. You are a time machine after all as well as the time machine for the Keeper and Guardian of Time."

The lights flared again and he patted one of the coral support beams before making his way out of the TARDIS, cloak covering him completely and invisibility enchantments activated. He stayed close to the wall as he walked slowly to where he could feel both Life and Time. The UnBalance was battering against the shield Life had provided and he continually had to shore up the defences in his mind.

The room he arrived at was big, a large oval table dominated the centre and there was a control console at the end, elevated above the rest of the room and separated by some stairs. He could see Martha Jones kneeling in front of the stairs while her family was lined up together at the back of the room with Jack next to them. The Doctor was in a bird cage, so old now that he looked like a hairless gremlin.

The Master was fiddling with what looked like a sonic screwdriver as a countdown ticked away and Martha explained the plan that the three had come up with while he slept. All of the people on Earth would be thinking one word when the clock struck zero and the power of words was a powerful one indeed, especially when boosted by a telepathic field. The Master had inadvertently helped Time and Life stop him before the UnBalance became the End.

He knew he wasn't needed just yet, so Death sagged against the nearest wall and watched the proceedings happen. His Constant buzzed in the back of his head, telling him to be ready for what was to come. He smiled as he watched Time forgive the Master and hold his old friend as the Master wept. He watched as Life went off into the Valiant with soldiers to the paradox machine and the Master disappeared with Time.

He didn't worry, his Constant was still buzzing, his role had yet to be played in this scene. Time started to reverse as the TARDIS was returned to a time machine instead of being a paradox machine. The Doctor and the Master reappeared and still Death watched as the year he had slept through reversed and the others celebrated.

As Francine Jones aimed her borrowed gun at the Master, Death readied himself. Time stopped Francine but Death knew it wasn't Francine he had to watch carefully. No, he had to watch quiet, wallflower Lucy as she saw her husband—her only way of making people _see_ her—fail to fulfil his promises. The gunshot rang out and hood of his cloak was thrown off as he staggered back from the force of the impact.

Everyone gasped as his invisibility was broken and he appeared in front of the Master, clutching his gut as the blood spilled out. In an instinctive reaction, the Master caught him and lowered him gently to the ground. "Why?" he asked Death and Death smiled.

"It was my duty to my Constant."

Time and Life dropped to the ground next to him and he held out his hands to both of them. Gently, oh so gently, they grasped his hands as water started to well up in both of their eyes. He looked at Time first and said, "This was always going to happen, with so much UnBalance there must be a catalyst to restore Balance. Do not grieve, you will find me again and you will never be alone from now on."

He shushed Life's quiet pleads and squeezed the hand that he held in gratitude, "Thank you, for muffling the UnBalance enough for me to fulfil my task. Find me."

Finally, he looked at the broken Time Lord that was cradling him softly, "You will be free, Keeper and Guardian of Space, listen not to the drums but what is beneath the drums."

Eyes slipping closed, Death let out a sigh as his body deflated and turned to dust. Three items lay in the dust pile before an unseen wind picked each item up and carried it away, they would be scattered across the universe until another brought them all together. In a matter of moments, Death was gone, and Life, Time and Space were huddled in an empty circle.

* * *

 _Three are found, a fourth imprisoned. Time will warp, and Death will die while Space is freed and Life denied. Pairs will reunite until the End of Time calls them all. ~The Fourth Prophecy_


End file.
